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ducduyaktt · 07-19-2008, 04:22 AM

Dear Alls,

I will be done with my master in pure maths next winter in a university in U.S.A. I definitely don't want to study pure maths anymore so I thinking about apply for PhD in finance or economics. Here is my profile :

GPA : 4.0/4.0
Publications : none
LORs : I think I will have very good LORs from some profs. in my department .
GRE : Not taken yet but I will take it in October - Because I don't have much time to prepare so I guess I will get about 1000 - 1100

could you please give me some advices on : Which university should i apply for? and are there any universities which can waive GRE ?

thanks so much and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

unitroot · 07-19-2008, 04:37 AM

You should take the quantitative section of GRE seriously. No one will waive it, even if you have a masters in pure math. If you don't have a good enough score in the quantitative part of GRE, your application might not even get looked at. How high your score has to be depends on the place you're applying to, but generally most people would suggest that you need ideally a score in the range 780-800. Having a score below 750 will severely constrain where you can apply and almost certainly make obtaining funding very hard. In fact, having something like 790 will put you below the median of applicants accepted with funding even at a program like CU-Boulder (see my post from a few days ago).

Ideally, study hard for it, take lots of practice tests, and aim at getting 800 on the quantitative test. Even if you're a math genious, you still might not get a good score unless you practice taking the actual test. It's mostly about high school algebra and geometry so it's not too hard or too long to prepare. Now, the verbal part of GRE is indeed hard to prepare for but I bet that most universities will ignore your low verbal score if the rest of your application is strong. Nonetheless, I suspect that having a sub-400 score in verbal part could hurt your application at some departments.

ducduyaktt · 07-19-2008, 04:45 AM

thanks so much for your advices unitroot.

TruDog · 07-19-2008, 11:49 AM

Have you taken any economics classes?

What are your research interests?

What made you consider switching from math to economics or finance?

ducduyaktt · 07-20-2008, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TruDog

Have you taken any economics classes?

What are your research interests?

What made you consider switching from math to economics or finance?

Thanks.

1. Have you taken any economics classes?
I haven't taken any economic classes yet, all of classes I took were very pure maths, such as : Differential equations, advance linear algebra, statistics, real analysis, applied complex analysis, complex analysis, point set topology ...
2. What are your research interests?
I'm not sure about what I should continue studying . I did talk to some friends who are in economics and they told me maths was good for who wanting to follow finance but It is not guaranteed for success .

3. What made you consider switching from math to economics or finance?
The first time, I thought maths was number one for me, I liked to study it more than any other majors but now I think I don't want to follow it any more because of the difficulty of job market and don't want to so some thing so abstract that only some persons can understand.

thanks so much for your advices and I'm looking forward to hearing from alls.

breakz · 07-20-2008, 08:48 AM

You'll find it hard to get into schools if you're not sure about your motivation for studying economics. The main criteria programs look for in students is "ability to complete our PhD program," and a desire to study econ (or lack thereof) goes a long way in helping them make that determination.

Bottom line: don't do this halfway. Try doing some research with econ professors at your school; this will expose you to the field, help you decide if its for you, and provide you with sources for recommendations. If you enjoy it, take the GRE and then start thinking about target schools.

KGkhan23 · 07-20-2008, 05:40 PM

You might want to buy some intermediate textbooks like Mankiw's macro or Pindyck+Rubinfeld's micro, and just flip through them to see if you' like what you see. Of course the material at the grad level won't be the same, but it's better than going in with nothing.

andrem · 07-20-2008, 10:24 PM

Since your grades in math are very good and you had some courses in advanced math I think it would be not a good idea to accept an non-top school now.

You should prob go to an econ MA. After that you are able to decide if it's really what you want and also had good shots at top schools.

ducduyaktt · 07-21-2008, 06:43 AM

Thanks you all for your advices. I highly appreciate that.

And looking forward to hearing more from you.

Oikos-nomos · 07-21-2008, 09:33 PM

With all due respect...how is that you are considering getting into an Econ Phd without having EVER taken an econ class???
You get your Phd because you want Economics to be your life (at least the part of it that pays), and how can you be sure about this without any idea of what is it about?? I don't think asking friends' opinions is a good way to know this, IMHO.

You seem as a person that enjoys studying a lot and wants to pursue further studies. However, i would reconsider the idea of any Phd, not just in Economics, if you don't have at least a general view of the field. So i would recommend that, as others suggested, you grab an intermediate micro and macro book and take a look at it. You could also take an intermediate micro course for instance to see if you enjoy it.

If you decide that you really want to get into an Econ Phd, well, you already have one of the most difficult parts of your profile done: the strong analytical background signalling.

Hope this helps!!! Good luck!!!

07-19-2008, 04:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
ducduyaktt Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 10	Where should I go ? Dear Alls, I will be done with my master in pure maths next winter in a university in U.S.A. I definitely don't want to study pure maths anymore so I thinking about apply for PhD in finance or economics. Here is my profile : GPA : 4.0/4.0 Publications : none LORs : I think I will have very good LORs from some profs. in my department . GRE : Not taken yet but I will take it in October - Because I don't have much time to prepare so I guess I will get about 1000 - 1100 could you please give me some advices on : Which university should i apply for? and are there any universities which can waive GRE ? thanks so much and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

07-19-2008, 11:49 AM	#4 (permalink)
TruDog TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest US Posts: 588	Have you taken any economics classes? What are your research interests? What made you consider switching from math to economics or finance? _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ University of Wisconsin-Madison--2nd Year

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07-19-2008, 04:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
unitroot Within my grasp! Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 188	You should take the quantitative section of GRE seriously. No one will waive it, even if you have a masters in pure math. If you don't have a good enough score in the quantitative part of GRE, your application might not even get looked at. How high your score has to be depends on the place you're applying to, but generally most people would suggest that you need ideally a score in the range 780-800. Having a score below 750 will severely constrain where you can apply and almost certainly make obtaining funding very hard. In fact, having something like 790 will put you below the median of applicants accepted with funding even at a program like CU-Boulder (see my post from a few days ago). Ideally, study hard for it, take lots of practice tests, and aim at getting 800 on the quantitative test. Even if you're a math genious, you still might not get a good score unless you practice taking the actual test. It's mostly about high school algebra and geometry so it's not too hard or too long to prepare. Now, the verbal part of GRE is indeed hard to prepare for but I bet that most universities will ignore your low verbal score if the rest of your application is strong. Nonetheless, I suspect that having a sub-400 score in verbal part could hurt your application at some departments.

07-19-2008, 04:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
ducduyaktt Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 10	thanks so much for your advices unitroot.

07-20-2008, 08:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
breakz all things in balance Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 118	You'll find it hard to get into schools if you're not sure about your motivation for studying economics. The main criteria programs look for in students is "ability to complete our PhD program," and a desire to study econ (or lack thereof) goes a long way in helping them make that determination. Bottom line: don't do this halfway. Try doing some research with econ professors at your school; this will expose you to the field, help you decide if its for you, and provide you with sources for recommendations. If you enjoy it, take the GRE and then start thinking about target schools.

07-20-2008, 05:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
KGkhan23 Eager! Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 33	You might want to buy some intermediate textbooks like Mankiw's macro or Pindyck+Rubinfeld's micro, and just flip through them to see if you' like what you see. Of course the material at the grad level won't be the same, but it's better than going in with nothing.

07-20-2008, 10:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
andrem Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19	Since your grades in math are very good and you had some courses in advanced math I think it would be not a good idea to accept an non-top school now. You should prob go to an econ MA. After that you are able to decide if it's really what you want and also had good shots at top schools.

07-21-2008, 06:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
ducduyaktt Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 10	Thanks you all for your advices. I highly appreciate that. And looking forward to hearing more from you.

07-21-2008, 09:33 PM	#10 (permalink)
Oikos-nomos Eager! Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 64	With all due respect...how is that you are considering getting into an Econ Phd without having EVER taken an econ class??? You get your Phd because you want Economics to be your life (at least the part of it that pays), and how can you be sure about this without any idea of what is it about?? I don't think asking friends' opinions is a good way to know this, IMHO. You seem as a person that enjoys studying a lot and wants to pursue further studies. However, i would reconsider the idea of any Phd, not just in Economics, if you don't have at least a general view of the field. So i would recommend that, as others suggested, you grab an intermediate micro and macro book and take a look at it. You could also take an intermediate micro course for instance to see if you enjoy it. If you decide that you really want to get into an Econ Phd, well, you already have one of the most difficult parts of your profile done: the strong analytical background signalling. Hope this helps!!! Good luck!!!

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